08/28/2026
🌟 Alumni Spotlight: Taylor Robertson, MPA 🌟
Sometimes the path to your dream career starts with a single opportunity you never saw coming.
Today, Taylor Robertson serves as the Planning and Development Director for the City of Bella Vista, Arkansas, overseeing planning, engineering, trails, active transportation, code compliance, & key areas of public works for a growing city of more than 34,000 residents. Her work includes leading zoning and development code reforms, shaping land use policies along the Razorback Greenway, updating the city's Master Trail Plan, & helping reimagine the future of Highway 71.
But Taylor's favorite memories from MSSU were not found in a planning office - Taylor spent four years performing with the drumline, marching band, concert band, & percussion ensemble & got to experience when the drumline represented MSSU at the Kansas City Royals World Series not once, but twice.
Her advice for current students is both practical & encouraging:
✅ Do not worry if you do not have everything figured out.
✅ Be open to changing your major, exploring new interests, & taking unexpected opportunities.
✅ Career paths are often discovered through experience, not careful planning alone.
In fact, Taylor credits an internship opportunity during her senior year with helping her discover the field that became her career.
💬 "If it was not for the internship that Dr. Shoaf highly insisted on during my senior year with the City of Joplin, I never would have discovered the city planning career field."
Taylor's story is a great reminder that success is rarely a straight line. Stay curious, embrace new experiences, & trust that each opportunity may lead you somewhere unexpected.
👏 Join us in congratulating Taylor on the impact she is making in Northwest Arkansas & beyond!
📣 Are you an alum with a story to share? We would love to hear where your degree has taken you! Send us a message or email us at [email protected] and tell us about your career, favorite MSSU memories, & advice for current students for a chance to be featured in a future Alumni Spotlight.
